Linda Buishas
Do you ever feel as though you’re fishing from the wrong side of the boat? Are your nets coming up empty? It can be discouraging when, in spite of our efforts, there are no results of our labors. No matter how hard we try to accomplish our goals or find solutions to our problems, there are times when there are no “fish in our nets.”
In John chapter 21, Peter and six other disciples spent the entire night on the boat but caught not one fish. Even though they had tried everything they knew, relying on their experience, their logic and skills, their nets came up empty.
Many of us have been in that place. We pour our time and effort into something without seeing the hoped-for results. Life brings challenges, and we rely on our knowledge and strength for the solution. With the apostles, the problem wasn’t the boat, or the sea, or even the net. It wasn’t what they had. It was what they were missing. Similarly, with us, we may be doing everything our natural mind tells us. But therein lies the problem; we are relying only on our own wisdom. Our logic would tell us there’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing, yet reality shows that we’re “fishing on the wrong side of the boat.”
Jesus called out from the shore: “Cast your net on the right side of the boat.” What difference would a few feet make? But they obeyed and had so many fish in their nets that they weren’t able to draw them in. Even when it defied logic, they listened, and the results came more abundantly than they could have expected.
Proverbs 3:5-6 urges us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” It wasn’t the apostles’ technique or expertise, but their trust in Jesus which brought the blessing.
Listening takes spending time with Jesus and in His Holy Word, growing in knowledge of all He provided through His death and resurrection. When we begin to hear His voice and to act in faith, we will be willing to shift our nets and surrender to His will. It’s then that our blessings will exceed our expectations. If we rely on Jesus to give us direction for our lives, we will experience God’s blessings, materially and spiritually, in our relationships, our finances, and our health. Our faith will grow deeper, and we will have joy and peace knowing we are walking in step with Him.
May we have faith to obey, even when it doesn’t make sense. May our lives be filled with the abundance that flows from trust, obedience, and unwavering faith. Jesus will tell us where to cast our nets and to which side of the boat we should go. We’ll find our blessings on the other side of our surrender to Him.